This week is just FULL of good news! Hollywood The Onion NINE.Specials: Gromit! Whedon! LAT on Narnia! More!
Set in Britain? From the sounds of it, radical Muslims in Britain have an outside chance of taking over that nation by the time the future of V for Vendetta comes to pass. But of course, it would be too much to ask for Hollywood to shoot a movie in which the results of a Muslim takeover of an advanced nation are displayed.
I think the reason they so often choose the right instead of, say, a religious group specifically, is that the Right often will trumpet the idea that the federal government’s primary role is to “protect the nation”.
It seems more frightening to some that a group could acheive power by appealing to the fears of the public without a coup.
The graphic novel on which V for Vendetta is based was set in the aftermath of a nuclear war that wiped out a good bit of the planet, so you can certainly see how the fascism in the name of security angle will be played up and tied into what’s happening today. Of course, such a story raises interesting questions. Is it OK to use terrorism as a fighting tactic to overthrow a tyrannical government? Did the colonists in this country use terrorism to gain their independence from the Brits? Such questions ought to be asked. But I’m sure there will be a lot of people on both sides of the political spectrum who would rather they not be.
There are changes from the graphic novel, and I believe the novel’s author, Alan Moore, has walked away from the project. The most notable change is a switch in the backstory from nuclear war to some environmental disaster, presumably because of topicality.
The story has many fans in the comics community, but I am not one of them. I am not bothered by targetted assasinations and sabotage against fascist dictators and their goons. But I am bothered by a certain sequence where the protagonist engages in what I can only call a “reeducation process” – on someone who was a friend/ally/innocent, but who was not sufficiently strong to assist him in his work. I found it evil.
I’m surprised that no one has mentioned that the (superhero?) in this flick is a lame cross between bozo the clown and zorro. Can you say, costume change, please?
Moore has walked away from the project because he disapproved of changes the filmmakers made.
I’m all for the the filmmakers right to change a work of fiction to make a film their own, but this might be a good indication of the Wachowski’s intentions. Ugh. I find the constant barrage from hollywood about politics awfully dull. No one is saying anything new. They are just recycling the same ideas over and over.
V for Vendetta has had the mark of a troubled film from the very beginning and was only complicated by Moore’s anger and the London bombings. I’m not expecting a great movie but I’ll reserve judgment until I see it or some other reviews from critics that I tend to trust.
Funny, I seem to remember Joel Silver making an appearance at the Republican Convention in 2004 endorsing President Bush
Poland loves it, too. As usual, he goes out of his way to acknowledge “some people” who see the film strictly in political terms, before saying such an interpretation isn’t required.
Seems he and Wells hate each other and frequently use their sites to take jabs at the other guy, although it took me a while to pick up on that.
Well, part of it is that Moore tends to be very disinterested in the movie adaptions of his work. But he actually did not divorce himself until someone in an interview said that he had approved the film (to that point). Moore got irate about this and demanded all references to his name be pulled…I believe he also declared he was not going to work for DC anymore. Which he declares every few years.
Part of this stems from the fact that DC promised Moore that when V for Vandetta went out of print, the rights would revert to himself and the artist. Not too surprisingly, DC kept it in print all these years. So it’s a sore spot for Moore that has, I believe, less to do with story changes and more to do with discord between DC and Moore.
Moore has a habit of over reacting. I love the man’s work…but he can be a Diva. As someone who aspires to work in comics, I hope I remember my place in creation.
I find it amusing that the backstory was changed from nuclear war to environmental disaster in the interests of topicality. Given recent developments in Iran, I’d put my money on a nuclear disaster as the more likely calamity in the foreseeable future.
“Neocon power dreams”?
Care to provide an accurate definition of neocon?
Good heavens. The Right, for all its faults, is serious about the war. The Left is not, and no amount of artistic posturing will change that.